Strange Things | Mom's Birthday Mousse

Mom's Birthday Mousse

erratic_prophet | 03 February, 2006 14:26

My mom's birthday was earlier this week. It was a big one. She wasn't happy. She wouldn't even let me bake her a cake for the big day. I was going to anyway, but realized too late that I had no eggs. (It's hard to make a cake without eggs.) I decided to make one for the weekend, just in case someone were to stop by. She couldn't argue with that logic. So I made a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse and strawberries with a plain white frosting. Sounds yum, doesn't it?

Even though I trimmed the cake to keep it level, it turned all lopsided. And when I went to frost it, a lot of mousse oozed out turning the pristine white frosting into a marble frosting. Then the cake started to crack.. This is why I'm not a professional baker. I make ugly food. As my ex used to say, "R's food may look like shit, but it's the best I've ever tasted."

The best part of the cake is the mousse. It's to die for. I'm a die-hard chocoholic, so I should know, right? Anyway, here's the recipe for the chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (chopped or buy some morsels and use those)
1/3 c. espresso or 1/2 tsp. instant espresso in 1/3 c. boiling water
4 eggs*, separated
3 tbsp. sugar

Melt the chocolate bits in a double boiler (or just slap a metal bowl on top of a pot of simmering water if you don't have a double boiler). When the chocolate is melted, add espresso (or instant coffee with boiling water). It'll be difficult to mix at first because the chocolate will seize up a bit from the water, but it will smooth out. The boiling water makes this process quicker. Add egg yolks and stir until well mixed and thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Again, the boiling water will speed this all up.

In a medium sized bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until you get stiff peaks (peaks should stand straight up without flopping over).

Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites. Some streaking is fine. You don't want to over-mix this because it will thin out. Turn out into serving dishes and chill for several hours until firm.

*If you're worried about salmonella, use pasteurized eggs.

Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!